The ASU women's soccer team will head to Oregon this weekend for a pair of important Pac-10 games.
The Sun Devils, who are currently ranked No. 20 in the Soccer America Magazine poll and No. 23 in Soccer Buzz Magazine, will leave Tempe with an 8-3-2 record. They will look to improve on their 1-2 record in conference play.
ASU is currently seventh in the Pac-10 and Oregon State follows at the eighth spot while Oregon looks up at everyone else from tenth place in the conference.
"We have a good frame of mind going in and there is a lot of positive energy," ASU head coach Ray Leone said. "The Oregon schools have the same thing; coming off a tough weekend and we both know that this is a good opportunity."
ASU will first face Oregon State in Corvallis on Friday. The Beavers are currently 7-6-2 with a 0-4 record in the Pac-10. Oregon State lost both games last weekend, falling to No. 1 Stanford and No. 11 California on the road.
The Sun Devils are 5-0 all-time against the Beavers. Since ASU's first overtime match against Oregon State last season, the Sun Devils have gone into overtime nine times out of their last 18 matches. They retain a 2-4-3 record in extra minutes and have gone into overtime four times already this season.
On Sunday, the Sun Devils will make their way to Eugene to take on Oregon. The Ducks haven't had much success this year with a 1-10-2 record overall. They are 0-3-1 in Pac-10 play. The Sun Devils are 3-2-1 all time against the Ducks. Oregon is also coming off weekend losses to California and Stanford.
ASU is currently riding a season long two-game losing streak. The Sun Devils were defeated last weekend by No. 19 USC and No. 7 ranked UCLA.
"We're a young team. [USC and UCLA] punished every mistake we made," Leone said. "The margin of victory in the Pac-10 is so small, it's unbelievable."
Against USC, the Sun Devils lost 2-1 in double overtime. ASU sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Fitzgerald made ten saves on the night. Fitzgerald has a 0.88 goals-against-average, good for fifth in the Pac-10. Junior Patrice Feulner, who leads all current Sun Devils with 24 career goals, scored her first of the season.
The Sun Devils lost to UCLA, 3-0. The match marked the first time ASU had been shut out in 23 matches. Both teams held each other scoreless through the first half until UCLA broke out of their scoring slump ten minutes into the second half.
Although it was the first shutout loss for the Devils, the ASU defense has shutout five different opponents this season.
"It was some tough losses, but we're encouraged by a good week of practice," Leone said. "We've been practicing our overall play and trying to create more opportunities. I think we just got predictable."
Reach the reporter at katie.crane@asu.edu.
